|
|
SMWW's 2006 Annual Conference Recap
|
|
|
|
The 2006 SMWW Annual Sports Conference
was a huge success and SMWW received rave reviews from those in
attendance!
The diversity of those presenting to
the group as well as the attendees themselves made the conference both
a great place to learn more about the business of sports as well as
presented some fantastic networking opportunities.
For the SMWW staff, it was a great
opportunity to meet people in person and get to know them on a personal
level.
The day of the conference was action
packed with high profile presenters: from front office personnel, to
writers from ESPN & FoxSports to experienced agents from all
sports. The conference left most people in attendance wanting more, so
SMWW is planning to make next year's conference a two day event!
Here is a list
of just a few of the wonderful speakers who presented to the group:
Dr. Lynn
Lashbrook, President of
Sports Management Worldwide, presided over the conference as MC and
kicked off the event by stressing that the people in the room have the
power to change the sports world by combining their passion to succeed
with an ethical compass. Dr. Lashbrook encouraged people to take
advantage of the networking opportunities in the room and told stories
of how meeting people in your everyday life can lead to opportunities.
He also shared recruiting stories of how he got into the business and
signed top NFL draft picks and credited relationships and referrals as
the way for a new agent to get in the business and have success.
This year's event saw the Director of Player Personnel from
the Denver Nuggets, Mark Warkentien, put on a dynamic
show with a multitude of topics that showed his out of the box
thinking. Warkentien talked about some of the greatest strategists in
history such as General George Patton who's premise was that a good
plan executed with vigor today is better than next week's perfect plan. He continued to tell
the group that you must be willing to pay your dues in sports and that
starting out in the sales department at an NBA team can eventually lead
to a dream job at the top. His example of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Maurice Cheeks being an NBA
all-star and champion, yet still willing to take a job as an assistant
coach in the Continental Basketball
Association (CBA) in a small town that no one wants to move
to, was a sign of someone who understood the hard work it takes to make
it to the top.
The attendees were throughly
entertained by James Campen,
offensive line coach for the Green
Bay Packers, as he told stories of his experience with
terrible agents. In one situation, his agent told him to sign a
contract without even looking at it and the GM of the team was so
disgusted that he had Campen call his agent back on his phone line and
fire him on the spot.
Jim Solano was easily the most experienced agent
that SMWW had at the event. Solano shared his most recent contract
situation with Brent Alexander,
safety with the New York Giants.
The Giants were hoping to get Alexander to retire so that he would have
to pay back part of his signing bonus so when they heard that he was
considering it, they announced his retirement without talking to
Solano. Solano immediately got on the phone and told the team that they
would have to cut his player, which helped Alexander avoid losing
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Solano has represented over 700 NFL
players and has a client list that includes Bill Cower (Head
Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers),
Herman Edwards (Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs) and Ray Rhodes (Defensive Coordinator, Seattle Seahwawks).
SMWW welcomed Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus this year.
Carroll is an expert on baseball injuries and steroid use in baseball
and has written books on both subjects (his most recent on steroids was
titled The Juice).
Carroll informed the group that 5 of the 12 MLB players caught using
steroids last season were all represented by the Levinson Brothers and a sixth
player who was caught is a former client. Those in attendance also
learned that the most powerful agent in baseball, Scott Boras, has a Ph.D. in
pharmacology! Needless to say, Boras
has never had a client of his test positive for steroids.
SMWW continued to invite a member of
the NCAA Agents, Gambling and
Amateurism Department. This year the group had an
opportunity to hear from Angie
Cretors, Assistant Director of the department. SMWW has
developed a great relationship with the NCAA and continues to be the
leader in providing prospective agents an opportunity to learn the
business in an ethical way.
Percy Knox, Director of Athlete Management for
Athlete's Performance, spoke about the difference in working with a
premiere transiting facility and certified strength & conditioning
specialists, versus a less qualified group of athletic trainers.
Russ Lande, Former NFL scout and current
president of gmjr.com & head of SMWW's Football GM & Scouting
Course, took the time to speak to anyone who wanted to learn more about
getting into the front office. In his presentation, he gave his first
hand story of starting at the bottom as an intern in a college football
scouting department to eventually becoming a full time NFL Scout on the
road. He shared the difference in how the media and college football
fans view a player versus how the NFL evaluates them on film and
projects what type of pro they will become.
Jim Kuzmich, General Council for GAAMES Baseball
Agency, spoke on many of the challenges that new agents wanting to work
in baseball face. He brought with him Garrett Berger, a former player
represented by GAAMES, who will now be working full time in the
business and he shared his personal experience as a player and dealing
with his agent.
Bret Polvorosa, President of Grip Sports Consulting
and instructor of the Sports Business Management Course, spoke on
captivating an audience and gaining trust through professional
communication. He stressed that listening was the key to successful
selling and that agents should ask good, open ended questions to learn
what the potential client is looking for.
Aaron Schatz of FootballOutsiders.com dropped by
the event after covering the NFL Combine and shared many ideas with the
group on the new age football analysis that is revolutionizing the way
football players are evaluated. An example he used was based on
evaluating wide receivers. The traditional method would be to look at
number of catches and yards after the catch. FootballOutsiders.com has
begun to track the total number of balls thrown to a player and the percentage of balls caught.
Bill Kent, SMWW's Director of Basketball,
shared a in- depth pre-draft analysis that he had put together for one
of the top players in the country in college basketball this year. He
also talked about the difference in a good basketball player and a
"marketable" player. He stressed that in-order to make money
as an agent, you must recruit and sign marketable players because it
makes your job a lot easier when finding them a job in professional
sports.
Mark your
calendars and join us at next year's SMWW Annual Sports Conference for
a three day action packed event February 23rd-25th, 2007!
If you are
interested in working as a sports agent or in the front office of a
sports property, talk to the SMWW staff today at 877-SMWW-Now to
register for one of our fantastic online courses!
|
|
SMWW President Dr. Lashbrook goes to Europe!
|
|
|
|
Dr. Lynn
Lashbrook, President of
Sports Management Worldwide, has been asked to speak at the
SportsBusiness Campus presentation in London, England
which takes place on March 29th and
30th. Dr. Lashbrook will also be traveling to Birmingham, England,
Paris, France
and Geneva, Switzerland during his
trip. He will be in Europe from March 24th through the 31st. If you
are a current or former student, agent advisor or are even just
considering taking an SMWW course and would like the opportunity to
meet Dr. Lashbrook for tea, coffee, or a pint, email Dr. Lashbrook at lynn@sportsmanagementworldwide.com
to let him know you are interested in meeting him.
March 29th and 30th, SportBusiness International is
staging Campus ‘06,
an information- packed two day conference in London at the Cass School of
Business. In an effort to encourage ongoing sports business education,
SMWW encourages you to look at the agenda and your schedule and
seriously consider attending.
Whether you need to know how to get
more from sponsorship, leverage event revenues or tap into new
opportunities in Asia, at Campus some
of the brightest minds in the sports business industry will debate the
top concerns and provide you with a template for the best practices.
Amongst these are SMWW President Dr.
Lynn Lashbrook, who will present on How to Create a Healthy
Management Culture, as well as Jonathan
Hall, Director of Governance, The Football Association. The
event will be supported by the British
Olympic Association and a number of other industry leading
sponsors.
Take a moment to review the streams
and modules you would choose and to register your interest at:
www.c
ampus.sportbusiness.com
If you are interested in signing up
for a course with Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and the rest of SMWW's fantastic
professors, visit our website at:
www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com
|
|
Yes, We Are For Real!
|
|
|
|
SMWW Has
Endless Opportunities for Sports Minded Individuals
Sports minded individuals from all
over the world call us and email us everyday to see if we are for real.
Many of them have been trying to break into the sports business to
little or no avail, and they want reassurance that SMWW is as billed.
We can assure you that we are!
“We’ve come a long way as
a company,” says Dr. Lashbrook.
“We are really revolutionary. We were the first company to train,
educate and license future sports agents. Now we offer training in any
number of areas for sports enthusiasts who are willing to work
hard.”
SMWW arms its students with the
connections and know-how to succeed in a highly competitive sports
market. All of our courses are eight weeks long and can be taken online
from anywhere in the world. All you need is a computer with internet
connection and we supply the microphone & headset for the weekly
chats with SMWW instructors.
We currently offer 10 in-depth courses
that are facilitated by accomplished sports professionals who know what
they’re talking about because they’ve been there and done
it. Doesn’t it make sense to learn broadcasting from a
broadcaster, scouting from a scout, and the sports agent business from
somebody who has represented pro athletes?
Take a peek at the course offerings
below and tell us with a straight face that we don’t have
something for everyone:
Athlete
Management 400: The first course ever offered by SMWW, it is
designed for aspiring sports agents. Graduates of the course are urged
to seek Agent Advisor status within SMWW so that they can begin
representing professional athletes!
Auto
Racing and Management: A more recent addition to our curriculum,
this course is for anyone who wants to work in the racing industry in
any number of capacities. The course is facilitated by racing vet Juan
Pablo Sanchez and covers a wide range of issues for racing enthusiasts
everywhere.
Baseball
General Manager and Scouting: Facilitated by ESPN baseball analyst Rob Neyer and Dr. Lashbrook, this course seeks to
create synergies between sabermetrics and traditional scouting.
Baseball junkies will love this course because it is both educational
and focused on the business of America’s great
pastime.
To Sign Up For
One of SMWW's Courses, Call Today at 877-SMWW-Now
Basketball
General Manager and Scouting: Instructors for this course are Dr. Lashbrook and ESPN NBA analyst Chad Ford.
It’s great for anyone wanting a thorough understanding of
scouting and front office duties in today’s global game. Come
learn all the skills used by pro scouts in today's ever-changing world
of professional basketball!
Football
General Manager and Scouting: Facilitated by former NFL scout and
talent evaluation guru Russ Lande,
this offering is popular with those wanting to work in the NFL. It is
also extremely popular with pigskin historians simply trying to expand
their knowledge of the game. Students will be dazzled with Russ’
insight, scouting techniques and draft predictions.
Hockey
General Manager and Scouting: A new addition this past fall, this
course offers cutting edge theories on how to develop a career in
professional or collegiate hockey, and covers topics such as hockey
operations, team management, scouting talent, player personnel,
statistical analysis and other essential tools that modern general
managers must have. SMWW has also partnered with International Scouting
Services (ISS) to provide our graduates with the top level of scout
training using software that teams around the NHL are using. Graduates who excel in this course will also
be given the opportunity to work with ISS as a hockey scout!
New
Era Athletic Director: This course was designed to develop a new
generation of athletic directors by creating programs that are unique
to high school athletics. We examine the old problems in a new light to
inspire creative solutions using new technology.
Soccer
Management and Scouting: Facilitated by Dr. Lashbrook and soccer scouting vet Derek Bragg, this course offers
insight on how to develop a career in professional soccer and covers
every management and scouting issue imaginable!
Sports
Broadcasting: Taught by Portland
Trailblazers announcer Brian
Wheeler, students will learn everything there is to know
about the broadcasting biz. Because of technology, the sports
broadcasting medium is rapidly expanding. This course will train you
with the skill set and experience network affiliates are looking for.
Sports
Business Management 400: This course is quickly becoming a favorite
because of its track record of successfully training and placing
students in sports careers. Instructors Bret Polvorosa and Tom Leip do
an excellent job of supplying students with timeless skills that are
transferable from sport to sport and industry to industry.
For more information on SMWW course offerings,
please select this text.
Call SMWW
Today at 877-SMWW- Now
|
|
Sports News Notes
|
|
|
|
Big Changes at
IMG
Sinrich
Leaves Over “Strategic Differences”
“Things are changing at the
world’s biggest sports agency,” reports UK Times business editor
Steven Downes. Bill Sinrich, the head of TransWorld Inernational, the
IMG subsidiary and the world’s biggest independent television
producer, has left due to “strategic differences.”
IMG chair Theodore Forstmann said
Sinrich’s exit is due to “differences over recent
organizational changes and the future course of IMG and TWI.”
Sinrich joined TWI nearly two decades
ago, “when IMG was still firmly under control of its founder,
Mark McCormack, the American credited with inventing the role of the
sports agent through his development of his business with golfers
Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in the 1960s.”
IMG is now a $1 billion-per-year
global business, and TWI is its largest subsidiary. Sinrich
“developed TWI into a production house that also distributed and
marketed its programming – often times the sports events promoted
by IMG.”
Based in London,
TWI “has developed strong associations with UK
sports broadcasters the BBC and BSkyB, for whom they provide many hours
of coverage.”
The company said that IMG board member
and Sports Capital Partners chair David Checketts is taking over in the
interim to “assist in the transition in TWI’s international
operations” while they look for a replacement for Sinrich (2/27).
Call SMWW
Today at 877-SMWW-Now
Pro Athletes
at Risk for Investment Scams
Financial experts say that pro
athletes everywhere “are potential targets of investment scams,
the result of working in high-profile fields with big salaries,”
reports the Denver Post’s Will Shanley.
A recent Georgia lawsuit
“involving at least five former or current Denver Broncos aims to
recover $15 million from an Atlanta-based hedge fund accused of
defrauding investors.” The suit says Kirk Wright and
International Management Associates LLC “failed to honor
withdrawal requests by players in early December.”
The Wall Street Journal reported
recently that the defrauded players include Broncos wide receiver Rod
Smith, and ex-Broncos Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater. They
aren’t the first football players to run into trouble. According
to the NFLPA, at least 78 other pro football players “have been
bilked out of more than $42 million since 1999.”
Scammers, including sports agent
William “Tank” Black and financial adviser John W.
Geillette Jr., “have served jail sentences for bilking money from
professional athletes” (2/21).
For
more information on our courses, select this text...
Call SMWW
Today at 877-SMWW-Now
|
|
Earn Your Masters or Doctorate Degree!
|
|
|
|
Earn your Masters or Doctorate through
Northcentral
University
online! M. ED, PH.D, ED.D and MBA are all available with a specialization
in Sports Management. It is possible to get a Masters degree in a
little over a year.
There are no residency requirements,
you work at your own pace, all online... all from home. Courses are 16
weeks long, however you may take an 8 week accelerated course.
SMWW President and Founder Dr. Lynn
Lashbrook, who is also a certified NFLPA agent, and Sally Sullivan, former agent of
Venus and Serena Williams, teach many of the courses.
Call
1-877-SMWW-NOW to speak with one of them today or for more information, Select
this text!
|
|
SMWW Welcomes New Agent Advisors!
|
|
|
|
SMWW is proud
to announce that we have 16 new agent advisors who joined the company
in the month of February!
Bruce Butler, Illinois
Gerald Cowan, Indiana
James Dod, Ohio
Daron Drayton, Maryland
Lazo Gjurich, New York
James Gonzaga, California
Lurone Jennings, Tennessee
Aaron Kilbarger, Ohio
Beverly Martin, New
Orleans
Rock Mirich, Nevada
Adam Prossin, Washington
Gary Rosenfeld, Florida
Kevin Song, New Jersey
Dennis Spanoudakis, California
David White, Pennsylvania
Read on...
|
|
Dr. Lashbrook's Lastest Blog Postings!
|
|
|
|
If you haven't
had a chance to read Dr. Lashbrook's blog, you are missing out on
insight from one of the most opinion people in sports!
3.07.2006
Sadly, Kirby lived in a vacuum off the
field!
The passing of Kirby Puckett is a sad
day for all of his fans. More sad is all of the allegations he had to
take with him. As an agent, I wonder if his agent knew about his
personal failings. Maybe the media will ask or maybe they would rather
gloss over these concerns. I guess you could call it a double(s)
standard! (npi)
3.02.2006
World Baseball Classic is being mocked
by the media in America!
For decades we have had the World
Series in America
but have never invited other countries (except Canada,
eh!) to compete. It is embarrasing to listen to our sports media mock
the WBC. Maybe if they were a little more worldly they would see the
world is becoming flat and therefore a more level playing field. Global
economy means Global Competition!
I suggest they read Thomas Friedman''s
new book titled The World is Flat. It is a classic (npi).
Click Here To Read His Blog....
|
|
|
SMWW Success Story
|
|
|
|
Meet Mandy
Love
Another SMWW
Success Story!
The greatest joy for SMWW is seeing
our alums rapidly achieve success in the sports business. Every month
we hear from many of our former students who have made the most of our
curriculum and contacts and have advanced their sports careers.
Mandy Love is now an account executive with the
WNBA’s Houston Comets. Like many sports professionals, she
credits SMWW and its Sports
Business Management Course (SBM) with getting her a start in the
business.
“SMWW and The SBM class helped
me find my dream job,” says Love. "I was leery of an online
course because I had never taken one before, but SMWW has a fantastic
group of professors and mentors that are available when you need them.
It was very hands-on and easy to correspond and work with others
involved in this course."
SMWW President Lynn Lashbrook, along with course
instructors Bret Polvorosa and
Tom Leip, have a combined
60-plus years of experience working in sports and know exactly what
skills teams and organizations are looking for in new hires. One of the
other great things about taking Sports Business Management from
Polvorosa and Leip is that the skills learned are timeless and transferable
from industry to industry.
If you are
interested in working in sports, call SMWW today at 877-SMWW-Now
In a matter of eight weeks, through
intensive online teaching, discussion and mentoring, students like
Mandy are taught the inner workings of the sports business and given
the chance to network and polish their skills. And the one-on-one
attention given to students is something the traditional classroom
setting simply cannot compete with.
“The online discussions were
helpful and each time very engaging,” says Love. “It gave
me the opportunity to speak with the professors, and others involved in
the course, ask advice and set weekly goals in order to track my
progress.”
Love says she “would recommend
SMWW to anyone who is sports-driven and has the desire to work in the
sports industry.” So would we.
Are you another SMWW success story?
Email us today and you could be featured in the next newsletter as our
latest success story!
For
more information on Sports Business Management, select this text...
|
|
